by J. B. Hawker
“I’m worried about Bunny, Pastor Davidson. This has been such a shock. She doesn’t seem like herself, at all,” Ellery said.
“It’s bound to take some time to get over this. Having you with her will help, I’m sure. If you need anything, please give me a call,” Scott spoke reassuringly, but he was worried, too. Bunny was obviously in shock. He prayed for her and for the doctors who would take care of her at the hospital in Tillamook.
When everyone else had gone, Ellery finished cleaning away the last traces of blood and the trash the crime scene people and EMT’s had left behind.
That night she had seen her first dead person. That evil man had tried to kill her aunt, but he was still a human being and seeing him die while the EMT’s worked to save his life had been horrifying. For the first time she knew what was meant by seeing the spark of life leave a person’s eyes. When the soul departed, it was obvious that the body instantly became a thing and was no longer a person.
Her aunt had stuck a knife into that man’s flesh and then had to just lie there with his blood all around her, seeping over and under her and into her clothes. After Bunny had finally been able to stand up, Ellery saw that her back was completely covered with blood. When she closed her eyes she could still see that image.
This was not the weekend visit she and Bunny had planned on. How would it have been different if she hadn’t come down today? If she hadn’t been distracted, Bunny would have remembered to set the security alarm and would have been sleeping in her own bed, well away from where the man broke in, giving her time to call for help and barricade herself in the bathroom until the deputies came.
Ellery felt sick with guilt at causing all this trouble for her great aunt. If only she had stayed in Seattle!
When Bunny came downstairs with fresh clothes on, Ellery ran up and gave her a long hug, as she sobbed out, “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! If I hadn’t come this never would have happened. Can you ever forgive me?”
Bunny held her away and looked into her eyes with a steady gaze.
“You are not to blame for any of what happened tonight. You have nothing to apologize for. Nothing.”
“But, if I hadn’t come, you would have remembered the alarm…”
Bunny cut her short, “I may have remembered the alarm and I may not. This is not the first time I’ve forgotten to turn it on, and in spite of what I told the deputy, it probably won’t be the last. The only one to blame for that man coming here tonight is the man himself. If he had not broken in, he would be alive right now. Or if I’d never found the chest on the beach that day, or if I’d never moved to Oregon, if, if, if… if we think like that we’ll go crazy. We all make a hundred innocuous decisions every day that could inadvertently alter our lives. Worrying about the what-ifs can be paralyzing. You aren’t to blame for any of this, least of all that awful man’s death. And although I am the one who killed him, I didn’t go break into his home to do it. I was defending myself and you, so I don’t feel guilty about it, at all. Now let’s go to the ER and get this cut on my shoulder looked at. The thing is still oozing and it hurts like heck.”
Ellery hugged her aunt, more fiercely than before, and Bunny hugged her back before making a show of arming the security system as they went out, saying, “I like to be sure the barn door is locked up tight after the horses all get out.”
She became serious, again, after buckling herself into the passenger seat in Ellery’s car, and she turned to face her niece.
“Ellery, even if I had remembered to turn the alarm on tonight, that man could have waited to grab me some other day and some other place. His partner could be waiting to pounce on me, even now.”
“Surely not...,” Ellery began.
“No, hear me out. I only said that to illustrate that there is no absolute security in this life. There are evil people in the world, random accidents can happen, both outside and within our bodies, which can harm or kill us without warning. But, pain is temporary and death comes to us all sooner or later. This life is a series of risks. I try to look ahead to the life to come and just trust the Lord with everything else. Now, let’s go. I am looking forward right now to potent pain pills and a nice long nap, God willing.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
I put to death and I bring to life, I have wounded and I will heal
– Deuteronomy 32:39
Bunny woke up in her own bed to late afternoon sunlight filtered by her gauzy white curtains billowing in the sweetly scented breeze.
Still not fully alert, she began to stretch, luxuriously, only to be jolted into full awareness by a sharp pain radiating from the stitches in her shoulder.
Snatches of memory from the night before inspired her to try to cling to sleep, but even with her eyes tightly shut, a return to oblivion eluded her.
As she reluctantly sat up and found her slippers, other aches joined the pain in her shoulder and were exacerbated by a narcotic hangover from the painkiller she was given in the hospital.
A glance at the bedside clock told her it was almost five in the afternoon.
With a pang, she thought of her niece. What had her special guest been doing while Bunny selfishly slept the day away?
Bunny was never going to win a Hostess of the Year award this way.
Prodded by her guilt, Bunny carefully put on her robe and slowly descended the stairs.
Halfway down, she heard voices coming from the patio.
“So, you really don’t think an age gap of nearly ten years is a problem, Naidenne?”
“Of course, not. My own father is thirteen years older than my mother and they are still happily married. A chronological age difference isn’t as important as an emotional maturity gap. Well, hello! Look who has rejoined the living.”
“Aunt Bunny! How do you feel? Come and sit down. Can I get you anything?”
Bunny shuffled over to the bench and sat down, gently, beside her niece.
It felt like Bunny’s body might have been caressed by an overly affectionate steamroller while she slept. Every muscle seemed bruised.
“You don’t need to serve me, dear. You are my guest this weekend and I am seriously neglecting my duties. Did you get any lunch?”
“I brought a pizza over. There’s some in the refrigerator, if you’re hungry,” Naidenne responded. “I called when I heard what happened and Ellery invited me to come over.”
“I don’t want you worrying about taking care of me, Aunt Bunny, especially under the circumstances. I’m not a guest, I’m family. Besides, I want to take care of you, at least for the rest of my visit. Do you think I should stay a few extra days?”
“Of course, not. You have your classes to return to...and your professor. I will be fine. In fact, I’m wondering where you are going to sleep tonight. I’m afraid I can’t give up my bed in the shape I’m in, but that air mattress is completely unreliable. I certainly won’t ask you to try to sleep on it.”
“I’ve got a perfectly nice rollaway you can borrow, Ellery. I don’t know why I didn’t offer it to you before, Bunny. It just never occurred to me, I guess.”
“That’s brilliant, Naidenne. Let’s go get it, now, and we can stop and pick up something for dinner on the way back.”
“Good idea. Would you like us to get you something from the Crab Shack, Bunny?”
“One of their meatloaf sandwiches would be perfect. If they are out of meatloaf, I’d like the salmon Caesar salad. Let me get my purse.”
“Don’t get up.” Naidenne stopped Bunny, “It’s on me. That’s the least I can do. I feel just awful that I wasn’t able to help you before, you know.”
“Thanks, Naidenne. There was nothing anyone could have done, though.”
“Maybe not, but it just seems like we should have been able to figure out something to stop it all from going so far. Say, did you ever figure out what was on the USB drive that this guy thought was worth killing...and dying...for?”
“Oh, Gilles decrypted it for us right away, Naidenne,” Ellery piped up, proudly
. “It was easy for him. He’s like the world’s expert on this sort of stuff. I emailed it to Bunny as soon as it was done, but it was just a bunch of numbers and names. It didn’t mean anything.”
“Hmm, that's too bad. Maybe it was a code within a code. Do you have a copy, Bunny?”
“Yes. I printed it out and it’s inside, in that stack of papers beside my laptop. It should be near the top of the pile.”
“This it?” Naidenne asked, holding up several clipped together sheets of paper filled with lists of numbers and names.
When Bunny nodded, she continued, “Do you mind if I take these home with me and have a look? I'm really good with puzzles. I promise to bring them back.”
“Of course, if you want to... and don’t worry about returning them. They are meaningless. I’ll be glad to have them out of the house to tell the truth. Since the deputy took the knife away as evidence, those lists are the last thing I have to remind me of this whole sorry episode.”
Naidenne tucked the papers into her purse, “Didn’t you ever find the chest after your move, then? I wonder what happened to it.”
“It’s gone and that’s all I care. See you guys later,” Bunny replied.
Naidenne and Ellery left to get the portable cot and pick up dinner.
Bunny stayed on the patio thinking of nothing at all; simply enjoying the sensation of the early evening sun on her face.
The sound of her phone startled her so that she jumped up, shaking, before she pulled herself together and stepped inside to answer the call. She hadn’t realized her nerves will still so on edge.
“Hello,” she spoke tentatively.
“Hi Buns, it’s me. How’re y’all doin’? Say, is something wrong? You don’t sound like yourself.”
“Max! It’s you.”
“That’s right. It’s me, like I just said. Are you okay? Is this a bad time for me to call? You did say to call, right?”
“Oh, yes. I’m so happy to hear your voice. And, please don’t worry. I’m okay, really. It’s only a flesh wound and shouldn’t even leave too much of a scar.”
“Flesh wound? Scar? What are you talking about?”
“That’s right. You couldn’t know.”
She paused, and then continued, “I killed a man in my pajamas last night…and what he was doing in my pajamas I’ll never know,” she finished with a weak laugh.
“What? Now you’re doing Groucho jokes? Bunny, what’s going on?”
“I’m sorry. I know I’m not making much sense.”
She sat down on the loveseat, took a deep breath and tried to tell Max what had been happening.
“It’s a long story, I’m afraid. It all began when I found a treasure chest on the beach…”
“Now you’re talking about treasure chests? If you say you’ve been attacked by pirates I’m going to hang up.”
“Please, just hear me out,” she practically sobbed, “I’ll try to be more coherent…but, I really did kill a man last night. He broke in and I killed him. I’ve been having trouble thinking straight ever since.”
“Are you serious? A man broke into your place and you killed him. Just like that. How did you do it?”
“I pushed a knife into his stomach and he bled to death. The blood was all over me and I couldn’t move to get away from it. It gushed out over my hand that held the knife. It was hot and sticky. He was lying on me and he was so heavy I couldn’t move. Not even to take out the knife.”
“Knife? Lying on you...I don’t understand...do the police know about this? Have you reported it to the local authorities?”
“Of course! Did you think the body was still lying here? That I was casually chatting on the phone with a corpse decomposing on my kitchen floor? I haven’t gone mad, Max! …huh, ‘Mad Max’, that’s a good one.”
“Bunny, listen to me. Are you there alone? You don’t sound like you should be alone, right now.”
“My niece is staying with me for the weekend, she went to the Crab Shack to get a bed to sleep in, but she will be back soon. I won’t be alone.”
“Sleeping in a crab shack? Can you please try to tell me the whole story without yammering about Treasure Island or Mad Max or the Pirates of Penzance?”
Bunny laughed then, a normal Bunny-laugh, not the edge of hysteria giggle Max had been hearing.
She finally pulled herself together and gave him the condensed version of her adventures since finding the sea chest.
“Buns, I’m coming out there just as soon as I can clear a few days on my schedule. I was calling to arrange a visit, anyway, but I really don’t like you being out there on your own after what you’ve been through. I’ll rearrange some appointments and let you know how soon I can come.”
“I’d like that, Max. Until I heard your voice I didn’t know just how badly I’ve wanted you here, but I’m all right, really. Just a little nervy from last night and still woozy from the pain pills. I’m sorry I haven’t been making much sense. They tell me it’s the shock. But just talking with you has helped.”
“I’ll call again soon and I’ll be there as quickly as I can. In the meantime, call me right away if you need me, promise?”
“I promise. Goodbye, dear. And thanks.”
When the others returned they found Bunny asleep, curled up on the small sofa.
Although they tried to be quiet, their whispers soon woke her.
“Is that dinner I smell? I’m famished. ”
“That’s not surprising since you haven’t eaten today. Shall I bring your sandwich over or do you feel up to joining us at the table?” Naidenne asked.
“We didn’t mean to wake you, Aunt Bunny. You looked so peaceful while you slept.”
“I'm feeling more relaxed, too. That little nap did me a world of good. Let's eat.”
So saying, she sat down at the table, unwrapped her sandwich and took a hearty bite. But when it was only half-eaten her energy flagged and her appetite disappeared. She sat silently while the others chatted and finished their dinner.
When Ellery and Naidenne began to set up the portable bed in a corner of the living room, Bunny excused herself and went back upstairs. In spite of sleeping most of the day away, she was bone-weary and ready to drop.
Just as she was climbing into bed she remembered that Ellery was going to join the choir the next day.
She called to her niece from the top of the stairs and reminded her of the time they would need to arrive at the church. That duty completed, she returned to her bed and was quickly asleep.
“Do you think she will be up to going to church tomorrow?” Naidenne asked Ellery as they tucked in her bedding.
“When my aunt sets her mind on doing something, she usually follows through, come hell or high water. She may not be up to it, but I know she’s going to try. So, I will be ready on time…and you should be, too. I know Bunny is looking forward to having you visit her church.”
“Well, okay. But you call me if she changes her mind. I sure don’t want to go alone.”
“Yeah, these loving, caring, welcoming church families can be pretty intimidating,” Ellery teased.
“You can joke, but not every congregation fits your description. I know from experience that some are pretty scary. Scary and cruel,” Naidenne remarked bitterly.
Naidenne’s harsh reaction to the light-hearted comment caught Ellery by surprise.
“Oh, Naidenne, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. Do you want to talk about it?”
“Never mind. Let the past stay in the past. I’m sorry I spoiled the mood. Guess I’m a little tired, myself. Well, see you tomorrow, but don’t forget to call me if there is a change of plans.”
Ellery walked Naidenne to the door, locked up and set the alarm.
She observed a patrol car driving by as her new friend walked away. Ellery was reassured to see that the Sheriff’s officers were keeping an eye on Bunny’s place just as the deputy said they would, at least for now.
She felt so bad for upsetting Naidenne and w
ished she knew what experience had caused her to have such a bad opinion of church. Maybe she would be more comfortable talking with Bunny about it. Ellery hoped so. Too many people had been driven from the fellowship, and even their faith, by an isolated incident or a person in a particular church.
She changed into her pajamas and curled up on the cot with a slice of leftover pizza. After tuning the TV to a favorite program she put serious thoughts completely out of her mind and daydreamed about Gilles until settling down for sleep.
Chapter Twenty-Four
I will sing to the Lord; I will praise the Lord – Judges 5:3
Bunny was in the kitchen fixing breakfast when her niece yawned, stretched and smiled a sleepy greeting from the living room.
“Are you making oatmeal pancakes, Aunt Bunny? They smell wonderful!” Ellery took a big appreciative sniff, sat up and stretched before hopping out of bed.
It had been a challenge for Bunny to ease out of bed that morning. She was even more sore and achy than the day before, but she was determined to rise above her physical discomfort on this last day of Ellery’s visit.
“Did you sleep well? I hope that cot of Naidenne’s was comfortable.”
“Sure. I was cozy as can be. My mom always said I could sleep on a bed of nails, though, so maybe I’m not the best judge. Do I have time to shower before breakfast?”
“I can keep your pancakes warm for you, but I think I’ll go ahead and eat while you’re getting ready, then I’ll use the bathroom while you eat, if that’s okay with you.”
“Great. Just be sure to save me plenty of pancakes and leave the peanut butter and syrup where I can find them.”
Bunny poured herself a cup of coffee from the French press and took her plate to the breakfast bar.
Oatmeal pancakes with peanut butter and maple syrup were a tradition on Sunday mornings when Bunny and her sisters were growing up. Linda had passed the custom on, and her son, Ellery’s dad, had apparently introduced it to his kids. Bunny felt soothed to observe the continuity.
